Strange Reminiscence

Its been 10 years since I made the decision to travel with "the Frenchman". Its a little over 10 years as I left in June. Its weird to think it was that long ago. I quit my job, left my sister to sort out our rented house (I think she may have forgiven me), left my sanity... and gained a gorgeous boy.

It was a weird scenario. I didn't know Vincent at all. We met and parted on the same day and I fell head over heels in love. Made all these plans with him without the ability to actually talk to him. Then went to NZ for three months. Was treated like a piece of *&$% by a farm manager who didn't like us.

Hitch-hiked various places, bought an OLD car, actually it was the same age as me, but for a car that is old. It was a manual stationwagon. I had never driven a manual car before and had to get the guy selling it to me to teach me how to drive it. Poor people on the road with me that night!! Couldn't figure out how to turn off the high beams, though the headlights were broken. Every time I see people with their high beams on I remember Vincent washing the headlights when we filled up with petrol saying "more power". Oh there was no fuel guage on the car either so we had to estimate when the petrol was low.

Sleeping in the back of the car that only had bare metal and getting major buises on my hips.. then deciding that youth hostels were a better option.

The hot baths at Manganui and Rotarua.

The old nurses home that was a newly formed Youth Hostel and we were its first guests.

Bungee Jumping not once but twice in Queenstown.

Crashing my car (ok that one wasn't good)

Travelling by light plane to Stewart Island.

Anyway this is a bizarre way of saying that it wasn't all bad. We did some fun things, I blocked my family out and for that I'm sorry, but it was a stepping stone in what is my life. I was shaped by that experience.

Things I missed ten years ago was the Threadbo disaster, the memorial for that was last week, I just don't have the same feelings the rest of Australia has about Stuart Diver.

The day we left NZ was the day Princess Diana was killed. The cab driver (how did we afford a cab???) told us and we did not believe him. When we got back to Australia was when we actually believed that she had been killed.

So that was 10 years ago!

Getting cranky.

My dear little boy is sad.

I don't like him being said.

According to him, he is no longer cool because of his haircut. How can that be so? As I said to him, he has the same personality, the kids no longer notice that his hair is cut off, but he is still miserable! I hate it. How can kids be so cruel to each other. How can it matter how long your hair is.

Sick Chook.

My darling little boy has "the flu". Well he did yesterday and had me so worried. Burning up with a fever, not able to get up and do "Mark stuff", lying on the couch watching telly, barely eating, wanting cuddles all day (ok that is a Mark thing).
Kept him home again today, and he's a different kid, bored out of his brain. He cleaned out my utensil drawer as it had saw dust from my disintegrating kitchen, so he was washing, he's making stuff. I got him the most amazing book, and would recommend it for anyone with boys. Dangerous Book for Boys, it has how to make the worlds best paper aeroplane, how to make a sling shot, how to make batteries, information on history and famous battles, knots, secret inks, rules for 3 footy codes and cricket, how to build a tree house. Mark is keen for me to write down the whole list, but I won't.

How about a catch up.

• Jamie and I have both finished the new Harry Potter book. I'm gonna have to re-read the last few chapters, cos I got a bit excited and went too fast.

• Mark played AFL - the Wallsend Swans - and the team is still hopeless. But the spirit amongst the parents is better. I think we got one goal this week.

• We went to see "The Simpsons Movie" today. Mark loved it and I nodded off - an expensive way to have a nap. Bart skateboarding nude was hilarious.

• Mark got a super duper hair cut - a #4 - he hates it, but its growing already.

• He also got his own digital camera. A 5 megapixel one, its better than mine. A bit cheap and nasty looking, but its his own camera just the same.

• Jamie has had the 'flu and he's a terrible sick person, sits on top of the heater and asks for cups of tea, he is such an old man.

• I've had some serious ups and downs with my legs, had some REALLY bad nights despite medication. But I'm perserving.

• I'm very excited about Big Brother. I wasn't supposed to watch it at all this year, but I'll blame Mark. He loves Friday Night Live, so we started watching that, and then it progressed.... and now I'm HOOKED. I really want Zach to win. But I'm fairly certain he won't. Last night's FNL was the funniest ever. Travis felt sick after being spun around and he crawled so slowly - ok in type that wasn't funny, but by crikey it was.

Renovating.

These photos were from a few days ago (so you can tell that I found my camera, on the computer table under all the renovation stuff).

The gyprock one is where Jamie took off the plaster wall before it was replaced! The green weird looking one is the cupboard doors in that room that we have had to scrape off all of the paint, its a disgusting job and I hate it with a passion, but you need a good work surface before you can start.

Hopefully the sanding will be finished this week and we can paint (and finish it) next weekend.

HE'S HOME

YIPPEE. My baby is home again. He's taller, more handsome than I remembered. This is a photo of him and a little pressie that I got for him.

Post Titles

Have you noticed for this month.... GOOD, BAD, GOOD, YUCKY.

Must mean today is GOOD. MARK COMES HOME. I'm so happy. I miss that little guy.

Now yucky...

So this is weird.

Worked Saturday late shift. Have to work Sunday morning shift.

NO SLEEP

Yes that is correct. Not a hint of sleep. I tried. I lay down, I curled up, I sat on the couch, I lay on the couch, I sat in the recliner, I lay in the recliner. Watched a movie that I know off by heart, thinking it would send me sleep... but not this little black duck. I think I'll ask Ainslie to take the team leader role in the morning - what do you reckon??

I took all of my normal medications (and avid readers of this blog - the two of you out there!) will know what they are. But my doc added an antidepressant this week and he said in "rare cases" it can cause hightened anxiety, restlessness, nausea. Well guess what I have all three!!!!!! Should pass in a day or two. Had a funny sensation of minor halucinations too - like a kaleidascope and a big number 5 spinning inside my eyes. Felt good in the day time but this damned night time I hate it. I feel all dizzy and plain yucky and don't know what to do. Its freaking me out a little bit.

Jamie is so wise, I woke him up at 5.30am to ask for some advice and he came up with the most amazing suggestion. I love him so much.

Feeling GOOD

Ahhh, we just got home from watching Harry Potter... what a fabbo film. I loved it, scared in a few spots, but I loved it all the same.

Bring on 21st July for the final book...... what will I do after that last one?????
She just has to keep going, unless Jamie's prediction is right.

I completely SUCK at....

riding a bike.

We bought a bike for me on the weekend after I got completely depressed after shopping for clothes. I don't understand how gears work and my thighs are KILLING me. Do I go up or down in the gears when I go up or down a hill???? Jo and Mark G please help me!!

Today is the first day of my weekend and its only Thursday.

I have lost my digi camera and I don't like that. Do you know where it is?

There is a new scrap shop called "Shop and Crop" near me, on my way home from work no less and its gorgeous and a little bit tiny. I got some new love Elsie papers yesterday and I can't wait to play with them.

Jamie and I are planning on going to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix tonight.

I am going to buy some slippers.

I want to put some Christmas Pressies on layby (it will be my first ever layby) for Marko.

I want to finish cleaning Marko's room in readiness for his return.

Poor little Sheena has croup, but is still a darling.

We are setting up a webhosting business, does anyone know anyone how needs a website hosted, contact me and we can help you out and give you a great deal. No website as yet, but its in the pipeline. **watch this space**

Good inroads`

• Can see the kitchen table.
• Eating a healthy lunch.
• Got my hair tidied up.
• Booked a weekend away!!

Not bad for a Thursday morning (and I didn't turn the tv on)

Battling.

Yes, I'm back in the battle against the computer. Very annoying actually. There is so much stuff that needs to be done, and what do I do - blog surf. Not very educational, not really a good use of my time, but that is what I do.

Woke up with Jamie at 5am... then didn't get up to 8.30, felt very decadent. Blog surfed for about an hour, now I'm going to do some housework and then get my hair trimmed.

Then off to work for day 7 of my 8 day stretch. Working tonight with the two new graduates Rachel and Brad, they are both fantastic (and maybe a little nervous still) so should be a good night.

We are having gale force winds *again*, the back room windows are rattling, but the sun is out.
Have to put out some towels, should be dry by the time I get to work.

Off to tidy - first step - kitchen table.... I wonder what it looks like???

Getting there.

Some of you may know we started renovating!
Not something we planned.
Decided to take down the wall between the computer room and the back door. The wall was put up to make a 5th bedroom, we don't need 5 bedroom, we need a nice light room - hopefully with built-in cupboards.
Needless to say all of the office is now deposited around the house. This computer is on the kitchen table. The office chair is in the middle of the kitchen itself. The filing cabinet is next to the fridge.... mess.... so today I'm making my "in-the-middle-of-a-renovation" house habitable again. Kitchen looks lovely. Need some enthusiasm to keep going though.

Conversation with Mark

On the way to school this morning, we heard on the radio that there was a burst water main on Kooragang Island - like Newcastle needs more water - this got Mark thinking. He asked if "it was like the storm a few weeks ago?"
"Not quite Marky, what do you remember about the storm?" Thinking this is a Princess Diana or earthquake moment for Newcastle and could be put into Mark's psyche....
"It rained and then it flooded"
This is the only comment he made on his own. Five full days of rain, cars all over the road, no sport for 3 weeks, no electricity for a full day, cold and wet... all I got was "it rained and then it flooded" Oh dear!

My Storm Story

Ok its a little late, the storm in Newie was two weeks ago now, but couldn't be bothered updating blog. Friday the 8th June.....

• It was wild and woolly day, the rain drops were so big that one drop got you wet. Mark wasn't interested in school, but I found his raincoat and dutifully sent him off to OOSH (Out Of School Hours care).
  
• Mark's birthday was the following Monday (12th June) and we hadn't bought any pressies for him yet. Jamie was in desperate need of a haircut (and if you know Jamie you know its really desperate when he needs the haircut), so he went to get the haircut and I bought a fishtank and CD for the little man. Taking the pressies out the car was an experience, it was quite dark despite being 10 in the morning, the rain was incredible. Ran back into Jesy found Jamie and did a little more shopping.
• Got home and Jamie played on his computer... I lay around watching my re-runs (I tend to record all of my favourite shows so I can re-watch).
• Time for work - left the house at 12.45 for a 1.30pm start. I like to get to work a bit early so I can have a coffee and a catch up, need to know if I'm gonna have a bad shift or not.
• Went to drive down our pathetic excuse for a freeway, a little stretch of road between Sandgate and Jesmond, drove around the roundabout and saw a tree was down, ok I'll drive past Jesmond Shopping Centre went there earlier and it was ok, not flooded. I was listening to ABC radio so knew that there was some flash flooding issues. There was a HUGE line up of cars, one directly in front of me and another behind me, I had no where to go. I was in the commodore - my blue one which is slightly lowered. Saw the storm water canal, it looked very full. I have never seen more than a small amount of water in them before. This was FULL and RISING. Next thing I noticed was water on the road, not only was the storm water canal full, but it was over flowing and water was about a foot deep over the road. As I said before, I couldn't go back, so I went forward and was terrified that the car would slide sideways and wash me into the drain. I got through that patch of water, it was around 50-100 meters in length, I was shaking, I checked my brakes by pumping them, luckily no water came into the car. There have been many stories of water coming over doors, over the bonnet, cars getting washed away. Eight people were killed by the rising waters, a family of 5, a couple who were washed off a bridge in Clarencetown and a man who got out of his 4WD and was washed down a storm water canal (he was the husband of a woman I met at the OOSH conference several weeks ago) Very sad.
• I called Jamie the second I got to work and asked him to collect Mark from school, just in case roads got closed. "Nah he'll be alright" I could strangle that man sometimes. He got him at 5pm - pitch black, the road near the railway track was flooded and some cars were swimming, but he had the 4WD and was ok. Mark was a little spooked but was ok. He watched Friday Night Games and was happy.
  
• Work was a bit strange... everyone kept looking out the window, trees had fallen down, but I felt out of the loop. Then it came to night duty, Lauren rang to say she will try her hardest but might be late, then I called Monika and asked if she'd be able to make it. She sounded surprised to hear from me and said yes. Ten minutes later she called back and said that all the roads were closed and she couldn't - obviously she thought about it a bit!! So I stayed for night duty. One of patients wife could not get home due to the rain, so she stayed over. Supposedly that happened a bit over the hospital. The heirachy arrived late and disaster planning started.
  
• By this stage the Pasha Bulker had beached itself, there were three other ships that were pushing out to sea at full pelt with not much success (they did eventually have success)
• Work was good. Lauren is an amazing nurse and I think she is wonderful.
• Left work at 7.30am, all my morning staff arrived.
• Got home, lots of trees down, cars all over the road, but no flooding. Strangely quiet and eerie feeling. Marko peeked out his bedroom window and then wouldn't leave my side.
• Jamie didn't wake up until 10.30ish. I only had some naps throughout the day and we had NO POWER.
• The fridge was off, the tv doesn't work, the heater is off, no kettle, no computer, no telephones (Jamie's mobile did work, mine didn't), no radio. Very strange, makes you think of how much electricity there is in the world and how 3rd world people occupy themselves. Mark wasn't coping, we played Uno, lego but the light was terrible. Jamie REALLY wasn't coping. But he did busy himself with an old car radio with the wires cut off at the back, attaching new cable, using the camp gas cooktop to heat up his soldering iron and connected it to a speaker. We tuned the radio into ABC radio and found out that we didn't have it bad. Many houses were flooded, trees down everywhere, cars destroyed and as I mentioned before people lost their life.
• Some fun facts - we ate ice cream for breakfast so we wouldn't lose it. Found the gas cooktop we bought for camping to make cups of tea, found the camp lantern that Connie and Paul gave Jamie for Christmas so we could have light once it went dark at 4.30pm
• We (I mean I) cooked pasta for tea.
• By 6pm I was exhausted, so Mark and I went to bed. Jamie stayed up and made his usual phone calls - does anyone know who he talks to all the time????
• I think we were both asleep by 6.30pm!! Weird.
• At 10pm, Marko had gone to his own bed and Jamie had come to bed and then there was a big BBBLLLLIIIIPPPPP and the electricity came back on. We jumped up and yelled "LETS GO WATCH TV" Terrible I know!
• Went for a drive around to look at the damage. So many trees uprooted.
• Thursday morning we went to see the grouned ship "Pasha Bulker" and those are the photos we took.
  

Its now 2 weeks after that, Newcastle is healing. Still no sport. Road near Heaton Greta is finally opened, and the Pasha might get out ***unless it breaks up.

A conundrum.

Is it doesn't
Or dosn't

I think I win.

Jamie

This is the best photo I could get of Jamie. Doesn't he pose well?

Random stuff.

Not much happening. I'm actually enjoying work at the moment (maybe its a solar eclipse).

Off to Sydney for the weekend for an Out of School Hours Care (OOSH) conference. I'm looking forward to it so much. Nice to get away from the house, nice to spend time with Liz and Tracey, nice to think about stuff other than liver disease and poo!

Here are a couple of random photos I found on my camera... a couple of the dogs, very cute close ups taken by Mark the budding photographer. The other is his AFL football team "The Swans" that is my little ruck rover crouching down in the middle.

Hello long neglected blog.

Hi,
I've not been at the computer for some time (maybe I'm winning that battle). Now its a battle with the tv!!
My legs are still in control of my life, but to a less painful degree. I still don't feel "up" to doing stuff. Quite annoying really. My tablets seem to be "holding me" for the time being, but I feel I am becoming immune to them again. My next strategy is to find a cheap (haha) natropath and see if they can help. Maybe a chiropractor as well.
Mark now has a best friend, Madeline from over the back fence. They adore each other.
Jamie is going good, no complaints other than he has discovered Battlefield again after about a month of not playing it. The business we wanted to buy didn't pan out for us, but what can you do? Not very much actually. Try to find something else.
I enquired at a local District Nursing Service that does home visits for Vetrans and some private clients. They pay is GREAT, the hours are great, but they have no jobs at the moment. Then I'll loose the fantastic maternity arrangements in the public health system if I go private - that is should I ever fall pregnant!!
Looking forward to Connie and Paul's visit on the weekend.
Anyway just a quick update.

Do I have a life. Looks like I don't.

(x)Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
() Pirates of the Caribbean
() Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
() Neverending Story
( x) Blazing Saddles
( ) Airplane
(x) The Princess Bride
(x) AnchorMan
( ) Napoleon Dynamite
() Labyrinth
() Saw
( ) Saw II
( x) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
( x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal EngagementTotal so far:
() Scream
() Scream 2
() Scream 3
() Scary Movie
() Scary Movie 2
() Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp
(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x ) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
( ) The Village
(x) Lilo & StitchTotal so far:
(x) Finding Nemo
() Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
() Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
( ) Robots
(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
( ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x ) Along Came Polly
(X) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( x) Joe Dirt
(x) King Kong
() A Cinderella Story
( x) The Terminal
(x) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
() Dumber & Dumberer
(x ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
(x) Flubber
( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
() Practical Magic
() Chicago
() Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
() I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
(x) The Whole Ten Yards
(x) The Day After Tomorrow
() Child’s Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
() Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
( x) Sixteen Candles
(x ) Remember the Titans
) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
(x) Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride (aka Roadkill - for us Aussies)
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(x) Ocean’s Eleven
(x ) Ocean’s Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
() Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
(x) Curious GeorgeTotal so far:
(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) E.T.
() Children of the Corn
() My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
() Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She’s All That
(x) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
( ) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(x ) The Terminator
(x ) The Terminator 2
( x) The Terminator 3Total so far: 35 out of 147.
( ) X-Men
( ) X-2
( ) X3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
(x) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
( ) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday*
( ) Reign of Fire
() The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
(x) Cruel Intentions 2
(x) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
() Swimfan
() Miracle on 34th street*
( x) Old School
() The Notebook
() K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf’s Tribe
( A Walk to Remember
( x) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
(x) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last CrusadeTotal so far: 111 out of 181.
(x) Base-ketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
() Elf
(x) Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
( ) Three
() The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(X) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
() Willard
( ) High Tension
() Club Dread
( ) Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
() Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
() Waterworld
( ) Kill Bill Vol. 1
( ) Kill Bill Vol. 2
() Mortal Kombat
(x ) Wolf Creek (but not to the end, made me feel sick)
() Kingdom of Heaven
( ) The Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
() Army of DarknessTotal so far: 51 out of 220.
(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix: Reloaded
(x) The Matrix: Revolutions
() Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
() Hannibal


110 movies seen out of the 200 on the list.
There was a lot of TEEN HORROR on that list otherwise it might have been quite a bit higher.
According to Ange's blog if you have seen more than 80 on the list it means you have no life. Check for yourself, how many ahve you seen?